two nights ago, one of my friends came over. Around 11 pm she decided that she wanted to go home. I had already changed into my house clothes and so it took me a while to find something comfortable and suitable for walking this bit street that leads to the street facing the Cornish (where she was going to catch a cab). We went downstairs and said hello the gatekeeper/doorman who was standing near the building door with his little girl.
We had exited the building and been walking for less than a minute when we saw a guy with a machete running in our direction looking at my tall blonde friend and yelling obscenitities. I am slow to react sometimes. But I remember seeing her turn around with her humongous backpack and run. So I did the same!
Thank God we weren’t very far from the building door!
She of course stayed over that night…. ha, ha…
What is weirder is that once safely inside, we watched from my balcony as a group of perhaps 30 men with sticks came through our straight yelling obscenities and hitting cars. Apparently someone is mad at someone in my building. Weird. They did the same thing the day after, but with fewer sticks.
I don’t know what to make of this. To tell the truth this is not the first time crazy people with machetes have been on my street, or some random fight has broken out. But I guess I tend to rely on brown skin to give me some anonymity. They may not think I’m Egyptian, but they certainly don’t think I’m European or American, targeting the Sudanese or the Nigerian girl won’t get you anywhere…. ha, ha…
Sigh. Just another day in Egypt. 19 days and counting until this adventure is over.
Elucidated Perspectives 
I think my mouth is still on the floor! I’m glad you’re safe tbh. And yeah, sometimes having brown skin works to your advantage. I guess it works both ways, USAmerican privilege works due to the passport but on the outside, the rest of the world see you as African. It’s all good unless they start targeting brown skinned folks.
Stay safe!
Yikes! Machetes in the street! No way, man! I’m glad you guys are okay! I love going to places where I can use the brown pass! 😀 In the DR, I was told that I looked like someone from Santo Domingo (they’re darker). In Brasil, they assumed that I would sooner be Brazilian than American, although there was something “different” about me (may have been my natural hair, hahaha!). I like going to places where I’m mistaken for a native. 😀
Wow, I’m glad you’re ok!!
Thanks ladies, I just have to chalk this experience to being just another day in the I.R.E. (Islamic Republic of Egypt)…